Gardeners Continue Hunger Strike

Gardeners on Monday continued their hunger strike outside City Hall to protest the city's ban on gas-powered leaf blowers. Top, Abel Rosales of Reseda fills a cup with steaming water early in the morning. Above, the day's first rays of sun have yet to reach the gardeners' station at the bottom steps of City Hall. Left, Roberto Cabrera peers out from a sleeping bag in a tent on the South Lawn. The City Council is expected to vote today on final approval for an amendment to the original ban; the council in December tentatively agreed to reduce the penalty for violating the ordinance to a $100 fine plus $170 in court assessments. The gardeners, who began their hunger strike Saturday, hope to persuade the council to repeal the ban; until there is a change in the law, they say, they will consume only "sports drinks," water and orange juice. "What keeps us going is that we have justice and truth in our society and we are here for righteous cause," said Adrian Alvarez, one of the protesters.